Malays
The Malays (Malay: ملايو Melayu) (Chinese: 末羅瑜國 Ma La Yu) are an Austronesian ethnic (ethno-religious according to some sources) group that is indigenous to the Malaccan region of Southeast Asia. This would include southern Thailand (specifically Patani), Singapore, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra in Indonesia, and the coastal regions of the island of Borneo, spanning both Malaysia and Indonesia's borders. Malays are unified by the Malay language and its dialects and more strictly united by the religion of Islam according to pan-ethnic definitions. The ethnic Malays are part of the bigger Malay Race which encompasses all of the Austronesian groups in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Malay culture is the main influence of Indonesia and the main political influences of Malaysia and Brunei. Etymology The possible etymologies of Malay are from ancient Chinese and Indian contexts, people from these two groups had a high desire to travel to the Malay Archipelago. Indian mythology mentions a place far east of the Indian Subcontinent named "Malayadvipa" which translates into "mountainous" in Old Sanskrit. Some historians argue that this was referring to Sumatra in Indonesia, where the Malay language originated. I-Tsing (Chinese: 義淨 Yi Jing ''or I-Ching''), a Chinese monk from the Tang Dynasty; visited maritime Southeast Asia and stumbled across a kingdom known as "Malayu" (Chinese: 末羅瑜國 Ma La Yu) which also hints a possible origin for the term. Its speakers were also that of an early Malay dialect. Other Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms had already existed in the Malay Archipelago and the Malay Peninsula upon I-Tsing's arrival. I-Tsing recorded his encounters with these kingdoms, such as Srivijaya, Kedah and Palembang. I-Tsing is also credited with having translated Buddhist scripts from Sanskrit/Pali to Chinese. Malay was already spoken as the lingua franca and eventually the native language of these kingdoms. The earliest document written in the Malay language is a small metal plate inscription in the Indonesian island of Sumatra, known as the Kedukan Bukit Inscription. Modern-day definitions of a Malay also differ. The Malaysian constitution follows a panethnic definition of a Malay, which one has to be a Muslim and a fluent-speaking of any Malay dialect to be considered one which Malaysians refer to as the Malay Bumiputra. In Indonesia, the usage of the term "Malay" is usually discouraged but usually has mixed uses, many consider it to be the native-Malay speakers of Indonesia. The Indonesian definition views is similar to that of the collective Philippine definition, where Malays are all of the native Austronesian people of maritime Southeast Asia. History 'Early History & Ancestry' The Malays have several various ancestral origins themselves, containing a hodgepodge of both Austro-Asiatic, Austronesian and Chinese. The Austronesian languages resulted from migrants from China, Madagascar and Taiwan. Malays are descended from two prehistoric migrations, a maritime migration of Austronesian people from Taiwan, China and Philippines; and a land migration from China to the Malay Peninsula, into Thailand, Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia and into Sumatra of Austro-Asiatic tribes. I-Tsing provides historians with most of the background in learning the early history of the Malay people. The history of the Malay civilizations trace as far back as 683 A.D. to Animistic civilizations in Southeast Asia. Indian traders introduced the Indo-Aryan languages, such as Sanskrit and Pali. They brought over the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism to the Malay Archipelago. Due to the later arrival of Islam, Malaysia and Brunei are home to many prominent Malay families that contain Arab ancestry such as those in Putrajaya which is Malaysia's religious capital. 'Srivijaya Kingdom 600-1200' According to the Kedukan Bukit Inscription, in 682 A.D., a military leader by the name of Dapunta Hyang Sri Jayanasa came to Palembang from Tamwan and Jambi with 20,000 soldiers. In Pelambang, Sri Jayanasa established a central capital that became the Srivijaya Empire (c. 600-1200 A.D.), which became one of the main region of power in the Malay Peninsula and Southeast Asia. I-Tsing arrived in Srivijaya in 688 A.D. and stayed there for seven years. Armies from the nearby island of Java started to pose threats to the Malay communities in Sumatra. In 1290 A.D., the Melayu Kingdom was defeated by the Javanese Singsahari Kingdom. Shortly after, the Srivijayans were defeated as a result of Javanese invasions. Rajahs and datus were Austronesian governers of lower-ranking nobility. They ruled states known as rajahnates smaller principalities known as barangays. After Melayu and Srivijaya's defeat against Javanese armies, Malays came under Javanese rule in the Majapahit Empire until Islam's arrival which would form the backbone of the enmity between these two groups that perrsisted over the centuries. 'Islamization & Golden Age of Sultanates' Circa 674 A.D., Arab traders introduced Islam in Sumatra in Indonesia but in 1100 A.D., Indian Muslim converts arrived in Kedah and converted its population to Islam. Malay rulers who converted to Islam became sultans ''which is an Indo-Islamic term for Muslim rulers and figures of nobility that originates from the Arabic word sultah (Arabic: سلطة) meaning "authority" who ruled states known as sultanates. Phra Ong Mahawangsa, the Hindu king of Kedah, converted to Islam and changed his name to Muzaffar Shah, and became the first recorded sultan and convert in Malaysian history. The Kedah Sultanate therefore became Malaysia's first recorded-sultanate. In 1405, Zheng He (1371-1433), a Chinese Muslim eunuch from the Ming Dynasty arrived in Java in Indonesia and Malacca on the way through his voyages in Southeast Asia. There, he became a main driving force in the mass conversion of the Southeast Asian natives to Islam. He made more voyages in 1413, 1416 and 1433 and went back to Java and Malacca, converting more people to Islam. During the 1416 and 1433 voyages, he reached Palembang in Malaysia and strengthened Islam in the region, characterizing and re-shaping the Malay culture of Malaysia. Many of the royal figures in the Malay regions adopted Islam and adhered to its traditions. The traditional rajahs or datus retained their ruling positions many converted to Islam and either became missionaries or subjects to sultans. 'Sultanate of Malacca' In 1402, Parameswara, a Hindu prince from Singapore, converted to Islam and turned the ancient Srivijaya Kingdom into the Sultanate of Malacca (1402-1511). Parameswara changed his name to Iskander Shah (Malay: 'إسكندر شه') as well. In 1444, Malacca became ruled by a Hindu king named Abu Syahid Shah. Unlike the other Malay rulers, Shah remained a Hindu and never converted to Islam; yet heSultan's Palace in Melaka, Malaysia was still titled as the Sultan of Malacca. Shah's rule as a non-Muslim sultan was very short-lived, he was murdered by Indian Muslims in 1446. Hang Tuah (Malay:' هڠ تواه'), a warrior from Malacca, is considered one of the most inspirational figures in Malay history renowned for his nationalistic battle cry, "Malays will never vanish off of the earth". The everlasting enmity between the Malay and Javanese people is attested by the Malay Annals, which mentions Hang Tuah's battles against Hang Jebat and the Javanese armies, whom he defeated fiercely. 'Sultanates of Maguindanao and Patani' According to Bruneian legend, the Sultanate of Brunei was founded by a descendant of Dewa Emas Kayangan, who descended from heaven in married several maidens. Not much is known about the Brunei Sultanate's history, but it reached the height of its power under Bolkiah, its fifth sultan. Even though Brunei was ruled by sultans of several ethnic origins such as Arab, Indian and Chinese, Sultan Bolkiah himself was a Malay. Malacca and Brunei eventually became the region's main superpowers. After conquering Sulu, word got to Bolkiah of Tondo and Maynila - two prospering kingdoms in the northern Philippines that the latter European powers would also envy and conquer. Bolkiah occupied both kingdoms and converted their populations to Islam, renaming Maynila to Selurong - extending the sultanate beyond Borneo and into the Philippines. Shariff Muhammad Kabungsuwan, a missionary from Malacca, emigrated to the southern Philippine island of Mindanao and found the Sultanate of Maguindanao (1500-1898), freeing Mindanao from Bolkiah's rule. The Sultanate of Patani (1516-1902) was established in southern Thailand, just like Brunei, not much is historically known about Patani's early history or establishment, and can only found through legends and folktales. Out of these, the most popular are the Malay Annals and the Kedah Annals. 'Colonial Era & Modern Days 1400s-1965' During the Age of Colonialism, Portugal, Spain, Britain and the Dutch all sought territory in Southeast Asia. The Dutch and British came simply to expand their empires and to increase economic trade with the natives. The Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors (literally Spanish/Portuguese for ''conqueror) sought to attain spices and also concentrated converting the natives to Roman Catholicism. Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese conquistador who worked for Spain was sent to look for what other Portuguese travelers called the "Spice Islands", which was Maluku in Indonesia. His slave, who he named "Henrique", a native from Malacca, became his translator and converted him to Catholicism. It is Henrique who accompanied Magellan and allowed him to converse with natives, with played a crucial role in his overseas successes. Instead of finding Indonesia, Megallan discovered the Philippines in 1521 where he and Henrique died in battle against native Cebuano armies. Because Islam had such a strong hold in the region, the Portuguese failed to convert the Malays to Catholicism. The Malays fought with heavy resistance and eventually bruised the Portuguese into submission. Spain took Luzon and Visayas in the Philippines which were Bruneian territory. For some time, the Spanish armies enjoyed successes against the armies of Brunei but had to retreat due to illness. The Portuguese handed over Singapore and Malaysia to the British and Indonesia to the Dutch. The British and Dutch empires had a much more stable and cooperative rule over Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia as opposed to Spain's unruly governance in the Philippines. The British and Dutch even hired sultans to govern colonial territories in the islands which softened relations between the Malays and the colonists. The sultanates became protectorates of the United Kingdom. Indonesia finally gained independence after Sukarno, a Javanese revolutionary, freed Indonesia from the Dutch, using the Japanese invasion for his own purposes. Although he wasn't alone, a Malay poet named Amir Hamzah (1911-1945) wrote literary works which fueled Indonesian nationalism for independence. Hamzah was killed by members of the Communist Party of Indonesia in 1945 and reburied properly after his body wasHamzah Haz found in a mass grave. In 1963, Malaysia became an independent monarchy from the United Kingdom. In 1965, Singapore broke away from Malaysia, becoming the last Malay state to gain independence - despite being majority-populated by the Chinese. After independence, the Malays have experienced many ethnic struggles in Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. Despite being native to Singapore, Malays in Singapore have experienced social discrimination by their Chinese counterparts, who now make up Singapore's majority. In Thailand, the Malays from the southern provinces near Malaysia are not recognized as "Malays" but simply "Thai Muslims". Even up to now, despite being Muslim and native to Indonesia, there has been many ethnic tensions between Indonesian Malays and the Javanese people, a rivalry that has dated back several millennia before Islam even reached the shores of Sumatra or Java up to Sukarno's opposition to the creation of Malaysia as a state. Despite the ethnic tensions in Indonesia, the Malays still provide the dominant influence in Indonesian culture, such as their national language, Indonesian; which is a form of the Malay language. Malaysia and Brunei's cultures are also of predominant Malay influence, their national languages are also Malay. The Malays are the political-ethnic ruling class in Malaysian and Bruneian politics, most of their monarchs and politicians are Malays, or at least according Malaysian definition in case of Malaysia's politicians. Most of Indonesia's presidents and politicians were Javanese with the exception of Hamzah Haz, who became Indonesia's vice president in 2001-2004, the country's first major Malay politician. Malaysia and Brunei are the only countries that are home to a majority population of Malay people. Religion About 99.9% of Malays are devout adherents to the Sunni section of Islam, a religion that was started by the Arab people from Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. Islam was introduced by Arab traders in Sumatra but spread by Indian Muslim and Chinese Muslim converts. In Singapore there is also a group following the Sufi section of Islam. A tiny Christian minority also exists in Singapore and a Buddhist minority in Thailand. According to mainstream Malay culture, it is considered "apostasy" for a Malay to ever convert out of Islam. Malays practicing Christianity in Singapore often face discrimination. Singapore's government advises these Christians not to establish churches of any sort. In Malaysia, one has to be a Muslim to be even be considered a Malay. Islamic politics is also the model for the governing-styles in Malaysia and Brunei, one has to be a Malay-speaking Muslim to ever have a role in government affairs. The tiny nation of Brunei is ruled by a sultan. Brunei's government imposes very strict laws against non-Muslims, the introducing and preaching of other religions is prohibited in Brunei, whereas it is allowed in Malaysia with strict regulations. Brunei and Malaysia's federal court systems are also based on Islam, anyone converting out of Islam must go to the courts to get his/her conversion legally recognized. Anyone who converts out of Islam in Malaysia or Brunei would no longer be recognized as a Malay, something highly opposed by Lina Joy, who was a Malay Christian convert from Malaysia that dealt with harsh court policies in Malaysia as a result of her conversion to Christianity due to a marriage to Christian husband. Language 'Bahasa Melayu & Bahasa Malaysia' The Malays speak an Austronesian language known commonly as the Malay language. It is the national language of Malaysia, Indonesia (as Indonesian), Brunei; one of Singapore's official languages and a minority in Thailand and Australia. The main standard version of Malay is spoken in Singapore, Brunei and Malaysia, this version is known as Bahasa Melayu which literally translates to "Malay language" in Malay itself. In Malaysia, it was changed to Bahasa Malaysia (Malaysian language) to create a sense of unity among Malaysians. To Malaysian Malays, it is referred to as Bahasa Melayu and to the non-Malays of Malaysia, it is referred to as Bahasa Malaysia. 'Bahasa Indonesia' 'Other Dialects & Writing System' Architecture Cuisine Notable Malays or People of Malay Origin Works Cited